BACKGROUND the incidence of pulmonary embolism increases with age but the 'classical' presentation of acute pulmonary embolism may not occur in older persons. OBJECTIVES to compare the clinical presentation of younger and older patients with acute pulmonary embolism. DESIGN retrospective identification of 60 consecutive cases of spiral computed tomography confirmed acute pulmonary embolism ...

BACKGROUND Altered functioning of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA-axis) has been associated with depression, but findings have been inconsistent. Among older depressed persons, both hyperactivity and hypo-activity of the HPA-axis were demonstrated. However, most studies were population-based studies, with single cortisol measurements, lacking insight into diurnal patterns of HPA-ax...

Timely topics in pain research and treatment have been selected for publication, but the information provided and opinions expressed in this newsletter have not involved any verification by the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) or the SIG on Pain in Older Persons of the findings, conclusions, and opinions stated in this publication. Thus, opinions expressed in this publicat...

BACKGROUND Few studies on falls interventions have been conducted in South East Asia. Despite its population ageing rapidly, the acceptability of interventions among the older population in this region remains variable. This study aims to explore views and experiences regarding falls and their prevention among older persons at high risk of falls. METHOD Sixteen individuals aged 60 years and o...

abstract background: the prevalence of self‑neglect among the elderly is expected to rise with a rapid increase in the growth of the older population. however, self‑neglect in the elderly and the factors related to it are not fully understood due to the limited research in the area, lack of consensus in the definition of the concept, and limited instrumentation. the purpose of this study was to...

a 35 year old diver comes to your office. he had hyperglycemia in his last check up. he asks if he can steel dive in spite of hyperglycemia. we reviewed the recent studies about diabetic persons who dive. recent studies have shown that well controlled diabetic persons may be permitted to dive, but if they have any problem such as diabetic nephropathy, retinopathy, neurological and cardiac probl...

BACKGROUND Older persons' right to exercise self-determination in daily life is supported by several laws. Research shows that older persons' self-determination is not fully respected within the healthcare sector. In order to enable and enhance older persons' self-determination, extensive knowledge of older persons' self-determination is needed. The aim of this study was to explore experiences ...

Undernutrition in older persons usually presents as weight loss and is predominantly due to protein energy wasting. The presentation of undernutrition is often subtle in older persons and there is a need to utilize screening tools and increasing physician awareness. There are multiple treatable causes of undernutrition in older persons. The major causes are anorexia, cachexia, sarcopenia, dehyd...

BACKGROUND The Older Persons and Informal Caregivers Survey-Minimum Dataset (TOPICS-MDS) collects uniform information from research projects funded under the Dutch National Care for the Elderly Programme. To compare the effectiveness of these projects a preference-weighted outcome measure that combined multidimensional TOPICS-MDS outcomes into a composite endpoint (TOPICS-CEP) was developed bas...